Match Game: Tomorrow, Communities Foundation of Texas Brings Back "Giving Day"

The Unfair Park in-box has been filling up all morning with missives from local nonprofits requesting we visit the Donor Bridge TX website tomorrow -- because yet again Communities Foundation of Texas is going to match donations made between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, otherwise known as "Get Up...

By Robert Wilonsky

September 7, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

The Unfair Park in-box has been filling up all morning with missives from local nonprofits requesting we visit the Donor Bridge TX website tomorrow -- because yet again Communities Foundation of Texas is going to match donations made between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, otherwise known as "Get Up and Give! North Texas Giving Day." There is but one caveat: The minimum donation's $25.

CFT and The Dallas Foundation did this back in May 2009 upon the debut of Donor Bridge. Only back then CFT's reservoir of matching funds was capped at $300,000. This year it won't be dollar-for-dollar:

Matching funds will be determined by taking the total matching funds available as of Giving Day and dividing the total amount of donations from the day, to determine the percentage by which each donation will be matched. This ensures all nonprofits receive matching funds!

But there's way more money at stake: Says CFT, this year there are $700,000 available in matching funds, with CFT's board kicking in $500,000. "In addition to matching funds," it adds, "The Dallas Foundation has pledged $50,000 to be given out in prizes to encourage participating nonprofits to be as strategic and creative as possible in engaging their donors." As in: The nonprofit that gets "the largest cumulative dollar amount in donations" will receive an added $10,000. In other words, it's just like a Top Chef high-stakes quickfire.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.